PRESS RELEASE
THE OFFICES OF SENATOR KIRK DEVIERE AND REPRESENTATIVE JOHN SZOKA
Contact: Grayson Barnette – devierela@ncleg.net
February 7, 2020
REPRESENTATIVE JOHN SZOKA AND SENATOR KIRK DEVIERE HOST COMMUNITY FORUM ON PFAS AND GENX
Representative John Szoka and Senator Kirk deViere to host community forum with NC Policy Collaboratory and NC PFAS Testing Network to discuss completed and ongoing research on PFAS and GenX.
RALEIGH, N.C. – NC House Representative John Szoka and North Carolina Senator Kirk deViere, in conjunction with the NC Policy Collaboratory and NC PFAS Testing Network will host a community forum Thursday, March 26, to discuss the Collaboratory and Network’s research on PFAS and GenX. Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) is a family of emerging contaminants that includes the compound GenX which has affected the Cape Fear River Basin.
Featured research will include: data on PFAS in public water supplies in North Carolina and potential health effects of PFAS. New research projects on PFAS in soil and animals and methods of removing PFAS from water also will be presented. There will be time for public questions and answers, and researchers will be available immediately following the forum to answer any specific questions attendees may have.
The community forum will focus on Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances research only. Public comment and questions will only be taken on the Collaboratory and NC PFAS Testing Network research. Questions or comments in regards to regulatory issues should be directed to the Department of Environmental Quality, Department of Health and Human Services or The Chemours Company, as the researchers cannot comment on these issues.
WHAT: PFAS Testing Network Community Forum
WHEN: 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 26
WHERE: Gray’s Creek High School Auditorium 5301 Celebration Drive Gray’s Creek, N.C. 28348
About the NC Policy Collaboratory: The Collaboratory was created by the North Carolina General Assembly in 2016 to facilitate the dissemination of the policy and research expertise of the University of North Carolina System as well as other institutions of higher learning across the State related to the environmental and economic
components of the management of the natural resources within North Carolina and of new technologies for habitat, environmental, and water quality improvement.
The Collaboratory develops and disseminates relevant best practices to interested parties, leads and participates in projects across the state related to natural resource management, and makes recommendations to the General Assembly. For more information, visit collaboratory.unc.edu.
About the NC PFAS Testing Network: The North Carolina Per and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Testing (PFAST) Network is a statewide research collaboration to study PFAS contamination across North Carolina, including testing for current levels of PFAS chemicals in drinking water and air samples across the state.
The NC PFAST Network was created in response to a legislative mandate and funding by the North Carolina General Assembly to help answer questions about exposure to PFAS chemicals throughout NC. The General Assembly asked that the “profound, extensive, and nationally recognized faculty expertise, technology, and instrumentation existing within the Universities of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Wilmington, North Carolina State University, North Carolina A&T State University, Duke University, and other public and private institutions of higher education located throughout the State should be maximally utilized to address the occurrence of PFAS, including GenX, in drinking water resources.” For more information, visit ncpfastnetwork.com.
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